- Title
- Layla Caressing Majnun, From an Album of Paintings and Calligraphy
- Date Made
- circa 1780 (binding: 19th century)
- Medium
- Opaque watercolor, gold, and ink on paper mounted on board; leather binding
- Dimensions
- Sheet: 17 1/2 x 9 3/4 in. (44.45 x 24.77 cm); Image: 12 x 6 in. (30.48 x 15.24 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.76.113.14
- Collecting Area
- South and Southeast Asian Art
- Curatorial Notes
This representation of Layla Caressing Majnun is from an unpublished bound album of miscellaneous paintings and calligraphy that was likely assembled in the 19th century, but the paintings have been attributed earlier to Hyderabad, c. 1780. The folio follows the pictorial tradition of the Khamsa of Amir Khusraw of Delhi (1253–1325) rather than the Khamsa of Nizami Ganjavi of Iran (c. 1141–1209), in that the camel conveyance of Layla is prominently depicted per Khusraw’s version of the tale (the camel is not mentioned in Nizami’s rendition). Other than the presence of the camel and the somewhat atypical portrayal of Layla caressing Majnun rather than merely sitting near one another, the iconography of the setting is fairly standard (along with some expressive local nuances). Several pairs of male and female animals peacefully coinhabit the lush landscape despite their normal antagonism, such as the tigers adjacent to the antelope. The paired animals symbolize the lovers’ yearning in accordance with the greater emphasis this aspect of the tale is given by artists illustrating Khusraw’s version. Majnun’s spiritual sovereignty over the animals signifies that he is an archetypical ruler worthy of being emulated by the Mughal monarchs.
Here, Layla and Majnun embrace under a tree in a lush landscape strewn with rocky outcroppings and flowering plants. A caparisoned camel with an empty howdah kneels before them and a monkey holding a taming cane. See also M.79.191.4 and M.83.105.22.